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The Pros And Cons Of Poverty In The Bible

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Today, urbanized centers throughout the world are becoming increasingly more populated. In these urban centers and neighborhoods alike, poverty and oppression burdens those that lie within. And, as Christians, we hold fast to the fact that God hears the cries of these people—he is not ignoring their pain. In fact, God is qualifying adherents to take up the torch and help make a change for their fellow man (Baker, 36). We, as humanity, are all flawed, thus we must be willing to help each other. The Bible says that Christ holds all creation together through the Holy Spirit (Col. 1:17). Thus, we assert that God is actively working in the world for his purposes. If this is so, believers can hold fast to the fact that “God has back to theology and the biblical account” (Myers, 53). When first going about dissecting and proposing solutions pertaining to worldly issues, we must start with the book that motivates our faith. Without this foundation, are we really relying on our faith or our own finite knowledge? Therefore, we start with theology or biblical models to solve a problem, especially creating sustainable development. With that said, what exactly is poverty? Ash Baker puts it well, “poverty, then, is about a lack of freedom to choose God’s Shalom, to live a meaningful life” (35). Therefore, we are looking at a relational issue rather than solely a monetary issue. We are made in the image of God that is depicted and rooted in the triune form. If this is the case, human

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